Participants in Bloomsday at the Irish American Heritage Center often dress in period costume.
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Facebook/Irish American Heritage Center

MAYFAIR — If St. Patrick's Day is all about pretending to be Irish, Bloomsday is all about pretending to have read James Joyce.

Bloomsday is a worldwide celebration observed annually on June 16 — the date on which events in Joyce's "Ulysses" take place. Brush up on your CliffsNotes before heading to the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox Ave., for a day of readings and music.

The Center's Bloomsday event, "Rattlin of the Joists," kicks off at noon with brunch and includes performances by members of Chicago's theater and music communities.

A highlight is sure to be the center's participation in a global online reading of "Ulysses" in its entirety, sponsored by the James Joyce Centre in Dublin. In cities from Auckland, New Zealand, to San Francisco, passages will be read from the novel in Bloomsday clubs, Irish arts organizations, schools, radio stations, public libraries, cafes and one man’s sitting room.

The Chicago reading at the Irish American Heritage Center is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. A live streaming of the worldwide readings can be viewed here.

Tickets to the center's "Rattlin' of the Joists" are $30 for members, $35 for non-members and must be bought Friday. Call 773-282-7035 for more information.